Graphic user interface for database system

ABSTRACT

A graphic user interface method for representing a search of a database, providing a plurality of stylized Venn diagrams each representing an intersection of at least two sets; receiving from the user, for each generic graphic icon, a selection of at least one region, defining an output data set; presenting the generic graphic icons on the graphic user interface as modified graphic icons, each having graphic indication of the selections; and receiving linkage information from the user for the modified graphic icons to represent a composite set inclusion property, based on the output data sets and the linkage information. Once a search is defined, it may be translated, as necessary, for execution by a typical database search engine. Retrieved results may be quautified and ranked by the interface system fur optimal presentation to the user.

The present application is a Continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 08/772,650 filed Dec. 23, 1996, the entirety of which isexpressly incorporated herein by reference U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,126.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of graphic user interfacesfor computer systems, and more particularly to graphic user interfacesystems having graphic objects representing data sets, in which amanipulation of the graphic object instructs the system to performlogical or set theory operations on the data represented by the graphicobject.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditionally, graphic user interfaces (hereinafter “GUIs”) have beenemployed to facilitate interaction of a user with the file and executionsystem of a computer system, to present information graphically and/orin a manner approximating a printed page (“what you see is what you get”or “WYSIWYG”), or to present a desktop metaphor. Of course, there areother aspects of modern GUIs not encompassed by this generalization, butwhich are known to those skilled in the art.

Typical graphic objects in a GUI are icons presented on a background or“desktop”, with icons each representing a set of files, applicationprograms, system resources, or the like. These icons may be relocated orselected, which instructs the underlying operating system to relocatethe referenced file in the directory structure, execute or open thefile, depending on its type, or to operate on one referenced file byanother referenced application. A known paradigm is “drag and drop”,which allows the one or more objects, represented by one or more icons,to be operated on by another object, also represented by a graphicobject or icon. Such functions include, but are not limited to, move,copy, execute, filter, open, print, and delete. In general, however, theuser does not operate to modify the icon itself with a correspondingfunction executed by the operating system or application.

In addition, within a group of objects, the objects may be ranked, e.g.,by name, type, size, date, location, relevance to search criterion, orother attribute. Thus, by defining a graphic object representing a setof files, functions may be performed on the set of files. These knownGUIs operate at a computer or disk operating system level, and thustypically operate on data sets which represent discrete files. KnownGUIs include Apple Macintosh Operating System 7 and Microsoft Windows 95and Windows NT.

Another paradigm for dealing with data in more typical databasesincludes GUIs for database system formulation. In these systems, datasets include a plurality of addressable records. The database operationsare represented graphically and may be manipulated by the user toformulate a search or report. In this case, functions may be chained, sothat complex database searches may be formulated by graphicrepresentations of elemental operations. These systems do not, however,provide a generic icon which is modified to reflect a data subsetemployed. In general, these known systems are employed in the design ofa database system or customized reports, rather than by a user toformulate a search during normal use of the system. This is becausethese graphic operations represent program steps or objects, andtherefore the resulting complex program must still be verified anddebugged. These systems also present different icons for each function,to allow distinguishability. As used in these systems, the graphicalprogramming features are not generally intended to make relativelysimple searches more efficient, but rather to allow a programmer toformulate complex reports at a relatively high level.

The use of search engines to search databases is known. So is theability to use Boolean logical connectors to conduct a search. The useof a set of results of a Boolean search to perform a new search, bymodification of a Boolean operator or the addition of new Booleanconstraints, is known.

The use of Venn diagrams is known in mathematical set theory. Othergraphical representations include histograms, line graphs, circlegraphs, star graphs, matrices, and scatter plot diagrams. In general,the applicability of these different types of graphical representationsrelies on the ability of a user to define desired subsets, e.g., usingcrisp logic, fuzzy logic, graphic regions of the set space, or othercriterion, such as a ranking according to a criteria, to define thedesired subset.

However, it is not well known in the art of front ends for searchengines or browsers to use well-articulated graphical representations ofset theory, including graphical representations of the logicaloperations “AND”, “OR” and “NOT,” and any symbols that are used tend tobe static and non-manipulable.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,488, expressly incorporated herein by reference inthe entirety, provides a system in which a graphical representation of anarrowing query set operation, e.g., a Venn diagram representing twosets within a data space, is provided within a window. Each windowrepresents a data space, and the window includes but a singlerepresentation. The search may be modified by selecting areas of thegraphic object representation within the window. There is no provisionfor employing the graphical representation as an icon. Thus, this systemallows the user to visualize the element of the search in a graphicalrepresentation, but does not graphically represent the chaining ofsearch criteria.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,267, expressly incorporated herein by reference inthe entirety, provides a system in which an imprecise sketch of agraphical set representation is inputted and interpreted by a computersystem. This system does not provide for interactive modification of thesearch based on the graphic representation.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,418,950, expressly incorporated herein by reference inthe entirety, relates to a graphic structured query language (“SQL”)query generator system. This system employs graphic models of SQLlanguage commands to generate a report. There is no provision formanipulation of configuration or selection of subsidiary objects withingraphic icons to represent set inclusion criteria.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,738, expressly incorporated herein by reference inthe entirety, provides a system in which a logical and arithmeticrelation of objects may be defined and manipulated using a GUI. Thegraphic objects themselves, however, are not modified in configurationnor are subsidiary objects within graphic representations selected torepresent a selection of set inclusion criteria.

None of the above-cited references formalizes a system of notation,bounded and conventionally stylized, whether for display on a computeror otherwise, for description of traditional logical relationships ofconventional logic diagrams, or for translation to and from conventionallogic diagrams.

Traditional logical symbols are arcane, and do not intuitively representthe set inclusion criteria. Thus, while AND, OR and NOT are readilyunderstood, a complex expression employing such words may becomeincomprehensible. Conventional symbols, in which AND is represented by ahalf circle, OR by a heavy vertical line, NOT by a circle, Exclusive ORby a sort of shield, are not intuitive. Likewise, the use of ∩, ∪ and /to represent AND, OR and NOT in set theory, and

,

,

in propositional logic, are also not intuitive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to a system for formulating and refininga search, by employing a “live” graphic icon representing set operatorsthat may be modified and/or linked. This representation is preferablybounded and conventionally stylized, providing a more intuitive languagefor the presentation and use of logical relationships between elements.The icons are also preferably selected from a small group of genericicons, which are visually modified to indicate a set function.

Aspects of the present invention address the following problems ofexisting front ends for browsers or search engines:

-   -   (1) proliferation of results, which are extremely time consuming        or impossible to consider in their totality; and alternatively a        paucity of results;    -   (2) aggregation of data results, in many cases, in one        undifferentiated pile;    -   (3) loss of the logical history of a search, and the        corresponding hot links, requiring reentering and researching of        requests in some cases;    -   (4) lack of an intuitively appealing graphic representation        either of a projected search or the results thereof,    -   (5) lack of an intuitively appealing graphic interface for        interaction with an “intelligent agent”;    -   (6) lack of a suitable graphic interface for manipulation of        index and table of contents data;    -   (7) lack of a suitable graphic interface to handle a search of        two or more databases simultaneously;    -   (8) lack of a suitable graphic interface for handling complex        data searches involving fuzzy logic; and    -   (9) lack of an intuitively appealing interface to represent the        results of a database search.    -   (10) Lack of a graphic interface for search processes that is        universally understandable, regardless of one's natural        language.

The present invention therefore addresses these problems, and providesother advantages, through a new type of system for dealing with datasets graphically at a user, rather than programmer, level. As envisionedby the present invention, sets of data within a data space arerepresented graphically. In general, the data set represented by thegraphic representation are defined by a rule or set of rules. However, aparticular advantage of the present invention is that a plurality ofthese graphic representations, each representing a different data setdefined by a different rule or set of rules, may be defined and depictedon the interface, either discretely, sequentially or simultaneously.Typically, a user will seek to use the database system to help define anoptimal resulting data subset, wherein the rule or rules defining thatdata set are unknown at the outset or are inefficiently defined as asingle consolidated set of rules. Thus, by defining a group of lesscomplex rule sets, and then consolidating the rule sets, the desiredinformation may be analyzed and extracted.

One aspect of the present system therefore presents a basic or genericicon, defining a plurality of logical data regions representing aBoolean relationship of two or more data sets. For simplicity, themajority of the present description will focus on the relationship oftwo sets, with the extensions to the representation of three or moresets as known in the art.

In a preferred embodiment, a generic icon is provided as a Venn diagramicon, divided into four set spaces, with two intersecting circles in arectangular box. The space within each circle and not intersectingdefining two set spaces, the intersection defining a third set space,and the external area defining a fourth set space. These act spaces areindependently selectable, defining the various binary operators of theelements of sets A and B, in groups of up to four spaces, as shown inFIG. 6:

set space number of regions not empty null set (0) A NOT B (1) B NOT A(1) NOT (A OR B) (1) A AND B (1) A (2) B (2) NOT A (2) NOT B (2) A XOR B(2) NOT (A XOR B) (2) A OR NOT (A OR B) (3) B OR NOT (A OR B) (3) NOT (AAND B) (3) A OR B (3) A OR NOT A (4)

In this system, a generic graphic icon is defined having a boundary andtwo intersecting areas in the boundary, each area representing a dataset, an intersecting portion of the areas representing a conjunction ofthe data sets. The generic icon thus has four discrete regions, theportion outside the union of the areas, an intersecting portion of theareas, and portions within one area and not within the other area. Aselection of one or more regions within the boundary is received fromthe user to define an output data set and presenting the generic graphicicon on the GUI as a first modified graphic icon, having visualindication of the selected regions corresponding to the defined outputset. In addition, a set inclusion property is defined to correspond toeach data set for the first modified graphic icon. These graphic iconsmay be selected from a pick list or tool bar or generated from atemplate generic icon. For example, commonly used relationships may beprovided on a tool bar, with all possibilities available by manipulationof a generic icon template, in which selected regions are altered, e.g.,change color. The icon may then be used in a larger graphicrepresentation of a complex logical definition, by chaining or linking aplurality of icons together. This chaining or linking process isgenerally by graphic connector lines which connect the inputs andoutputs of the iconic representation. These connector lines may besmart, i.e., intelligently routed, spaced and sized in accordance withthe overall search strategy, graphic presentation and page orpresentation layout.

A preferred Venn diagram icon according to the present inventionincludes a rectangular box with two overlapping circles staggeredsymmetrically along the elongated axis. Each circle is connected to aline intersecting a side of the box, either spaced through an elongatedside or through opposite short sides, from the outside. A third lineemanates from an elongated side of the box, opposite the inputs if thesepass through au elongated side. Each line may be provided with anarrowhead to indicate the nature of the line as generally beingconsidered an input or an output, with an arrowhead pointing inward foran input and outward for an output. The circle closest to each linecorresponds to that line. The standard Venn diagram notation isemployed, e.g., a change in color or density of a circle to representselection of a particular set, with each graphic region representing adifferent subset of the data space.

The standard Boolean set operators fail to provide certain usefulfunctions, such as ranges, chronology, ranking, proximity and semanticfeatures. These operations are often useful or critical in formulating adesired search. Therefore, the present invention extends the standardBoolean logic with these known search operators to provide potentiallyfull functionality within the iconic representation.

Often, these complex features may be formulated in Boolean terms. Forexample, a semantic or linguistic analysis of a term may provide anumber of synonyms and antonyms, foreign language equivalents, as wellas words related by root. Therefore, a search for a word as a conceptmay be broadened by providing a search based on the meaning, asexpressed through the linguistic or semantic analysis. This meaning maybe formulated as a Boolean expression, albeit complex. According to thepresent invention, this complex expression may be represented by asingle icon, for example a Venn diagram, or chain of diagrams, having,for example, an “L” next to it, an icon of a person speaking, an icon ofa mouth, a flag indicating the country of the language spoken, or acombination thereof, indicating extended linguistic analysis. Thelinguistic analysis might also display a representation of parallellinguistic analysis in different languages, for example, as a set ofparallel icons, allowing the user to select one or more of the outputs.

In other cases, traditional Boolean logical expressions cannot readilyrepresent the search concept, such as a proximity of two terms. In thiscase, a cumber of alternatives are present. First, a separate icon maybe used which represents a distance between two search terms, which maybe presented as, for example, a rectangular icon having a number orvalue in the middle representing the distance, and an upper and lowerarrow representing a desired change in the value. Alternately, an iconrepresenting a set inclusion property having a parametric modifier maybe identified by a “flag” adjacent to the icon being operated on, forexample located on top of or pierced by an input or output arrow. Thisoperator may thus replace the Venn diagram operator, as a separate icon,where the Boolean operation AND is implied, or act as a modifier for aninput or output of a Venn diagram operator, where full flexibility ofBoolean functions are available.

This parametric search modifier may be applied in multiple dimensions,as well. For example, a numeric mean and range may be applied to asearch by providing four controls over a parameter. This, however, leadsto relatively large icons which appear more like windows, and indeed aregenerally provided at the program level as windows, without title barsand the like. In this same manner, icons may be constructed for anyparticular application. The goal, however, is to minimize the number oficon types and provide generic icons which may represent a number ofdifferent search elements, providing an intuitive visual indication ofthe function of the icon.

It may also be desirable to include the parametric functionality withinthe Venn diagram operator. In this case, an operator is provided withtwo intersecting areas, e.g., circles within a Venn diagram. Therelative size of a circle represents the operator for a parameterdetermining a single set inclusion rule, and a relative position of thecircle represents the operator for a parameter determining a multipleset inclusion rule. These parameters are generally continuous orstepwise continuous variables, and thus a resizing or tug on a circleinstructs the system to change a scope of an input or output parameter,respectively. In this case, after manipulation, the icon returns to itsoriginal configuration, so that further relative changes may be applied.During manipulation, a different graphic image may be presented to theuser, visually indicative of the change in progress.

For example, a truncation, thesaurus, or relevance rule may be appliedbased on a parametric operator. The set inclusion operator need not beunidimensional, and in the case of dimensions of the set inclusion orranking rule, not readily accessible through the icon interface, theuser will, for example, double click on the object or portion of theobject to display a multidimensional graph, such as a circle having aplurality of spaced radially oriented axes. In many instances, a set ofslide controls, each labeled with an associated characteristic forvariation, is preferred, and may be easily provided using standard GUIsoftware developer's kits. The slide controls may represent parametricor non-parametric variables.

In general, in each case, one or possibly two designated defaultparametric operators will be represented by the alteration of the iconicrepresentation, while some or all of the set inclusion properties may beaccessed by way of the secondary operation.

In contrast to many types of traditional icons, which are purely graphicelements which signify an underlying program object, the icons of thepresent invention are active, and manipulable to signal to the computera user input. In the Venn diagram example provided above, the icons aresensitive to gestures of position and size of internal objects. In otherinstances, the system may be sensitive to other types of gestures andemploy different graphical representations of sets.

A preferred system according to the present invention provides iconshaving generally one or two inputs and one output, with more complexconstructs available by combining, chaining or linking the availableicons. Of course, efficiency may be gained in certain instances byproviding functions with a greater number of inputs and/or outputs, andwhere these are commonly used, they may be provided as accessible icons.For example, a multiple input OR or AND may be provided.

In general, the use of multidimensional icons is preferably avoided, itleast as a default, in order to simplify the interface and improve theergonomics of use. Therefore, a default operation is defined, which willgenerally be a predetermined variable based on the data types andpossible context sensitivity and artificial intelligence analysis of theproblem. In a system with a local or easily accessible database, forexample, the interface may conduct a sensitivity analysis to determinethe selective power of various criteria, and present as the defaultcriterion that criterion with a desired selectivity pattern. Where thedatabase is remote, difficult or expensive to access, e.g., where it isdesired that access to the database be efficiently used, the selectivecriterion may be defined by the user or suggested to the user by theinterface.

To generate a typical query, producing a resultant data set, the userdefines a plurality of input sets, and then establishes a logicalrelationship between the inputs. The input set definitions may beproduced in known manner, such as by explicit definition, or through useof assistive technologies, such as natural language translators. Theformulated search may then be presented to the user for tuning, finecontrol, or modification. The input criteria may thus be schematic orimprecise, and indeed an advantage of the present invention is itsability to graphically assist the user in refining the search.

In a further embodiment according to the invention, one or more setinclusion criteria are associated with a graphic indication of thenumber, ratio, amount or relationship of set members included and/orexcluded by the criteria, and the relationship of one set criterion withanother criterion. For example, two criteria may be redundant, e.g.,highly correlated. Therefore, one of the criteria may be eliminated,simplifying the search. Further, by analyzing the search parameters, thesystem may be able to assist the user in formulating other searcheswhich meet the user's criteria, for example changing the scope of thesearch or applying a corresponding search to another database.

As stated above, it is preferred that complex searches be formulatedgenerally employing simple binary operations. The present inventiontherefore allows chaining of the binary representations, in a treeformat, to achieve these complex results or transfer functions. Thisallows the user to view the formulation of the search and to modify anyelement within the formulation, which may immediately update the entiresearch structure or selectively update based on relevance or anothercriterion.

In providing feedback or output to the user, a number of strategies maybe used, or hybrids of the strategies, as appropriate. For example, inan on-line database, there may be charges, access fees or latencies foreach search. Therefore, in this case, it is desired to formulate asearch entirely before executing; on the other hand, the results of asearch or a portion of the search may be readily available, and such maybe updated immediately. In some instances, a portion of the database maybe readily accessible, and a portion difficult to access, and thesesearch requests may be scheduled and/or dispatched accordingly. Further,results may be returned in various sequences, and these may be presentedto the user in a non-confusing manner. In some instances, where databaseaccess is low cost, but latencies are high, such as with a number ofInternet based resources, it may be advantageous for the interfacesystem to dispatch searches in advance of a final determination, whichare predicted to be of at least the desired scope. These may then benarrowed or sorted with less penalty, and with a shorter latency fromthe finalization of the search criteria.

For example, in a text proximity search, an initial search with an ANDoperator may be initiated, with the resulting “hits” subjected to aproximity filter.

In using the system, the user will normally interact with the interfacebased on two possible scenarios; first, that a finite “correct” set ofresults exists, and the GUI database system is used to assist inobtaining the correct result, and second that no single “correct” set ofresults exists, and the GUI database system is used to definethresholds, ranges, boundaries, grey zones, rankings and so forth, so asto map a search strategy to select an acceptable result or range ofresults. In the former case, the user may be able to determine the“correct” result when it is presented, while in the latter case, theuser relies on the search strategy to present all data which meet thesearch criteria.

In either case, the present invention provides a graphic object which ismanipulated, for example, portions selected, repositioned or resized onthe display with respect to the other graphic objects, to represent aset operation to be performed on the data set. Each set representationincludes graphic objects which are “selectable” and modifiable, meaningthe graphic object may be operated on separately from other graphicobjects, but more importantly, any new data sets resulting from the setoperation are represented by a secondary (or tertiary etc.) graphicobject which is also “selectable”. Further, these primary and higherorder sets can also be graphically merged or re-merged by use of thesame graphic operators.

The interface system may, as a default, present ranked set membersaccording to the inclusion criteria, with a weighting test wheremultivariable inclusion criteria are employed. The user then may modifythis ranking by, for example, opening a text dialog box or a graphicwindow. In certain instances, the ranking criterion may be defined bygraphically manipulating an icon or graphic image in correspondingmariner to the set inclusion criterion, while in other instances it ispreferably defined explicitly by the user. Thus, with multivariate setinclusion criteria, the user may be presented with a star graph icon fordefining the relative weighting of each of the multiple variables in therankings.

When ranking data, a multiple key ranking system may be implemented withweightings applied to the different factors or combinations of factors.Thus, when booking airline tickets, the various criteria may be ranked,and an optimal available flight booked. The criteria are, for example,availability, price, airport, schedule, carrier, availability of a blockof seats, as necessary, mode of transportation, amenities, frequentflier perks, and seat position. The computer system retrievesinformation from one or more carrier databases, such as AA Sabre, andthen conducts a negotiation based on a strategy defined by the user.This negotiation strategy may be adaptive, explicitly defined by theuser, or based on an artificial intelligence system embedded in theinterface guided by the user. The various criteria may, for example, bepresented to the user as a group of graphic boxes which the user stacksin order to define a relative importance of the various criteria.Alternately, a set of slider controls in a dialog box or window may bepresented to allow the user to weight each criterion independently.

In some instances, portions of the data may be hierarchically ranked,such as patent classifications, prerequisite trees for some collegelevel classes, and professional and manufacturing directories.Therefore, this hierarchy may be used to define the desired set, rankthe resulting members of the set and derive cutoffs.

Where data is hierarchical, it is possible that one defined set is asubset of another defined set. Therefore, the intersection of these setsis the subset. When this happens, certain of the possible functionsbecome trivial. Therefore, where the interface system is able to detectthis condition, or other conditions which make some of the interfacefunctions trivial or inoperative, such as an empty defined set orintersection set, a set definition which encompasses the entire dataspace, redundant set definitions, etc., the interface may warn the userto avoid inefficiency. Of course, there are instances where thisinformation will be unavailable to the interface prior to execution of asearch, in which case the interface will perform its normal functions,even with these trivializations.

There are many different ways to graphically represent data and sets ofdata, and the present invention therefore preferably allows use ofvarious optimized graphic representations of the underlying data setsand set operations, depending on the preferences of the user and thecontext. These graphic representations may be applied both for inputtingand outputting data, and indeed the input and output representationsneed not be the same. Just as in descriptive statistics, form followsfunction. For example, a simple two dimensional line graph may beadequate to describe two variables but not, for example, five. Oneembodiment of the present invention will advise the user, or select bydefault for the user, optimal graphical representations of a givenproblem.

A common method of graphically representing set operations, and apreferred representation according to the present invention, is the Venndiagram, wherein the data space is represented by a plane, and sets inthe data space represented by contiguous bounded areas on the plane. Setoperations are represented by toe intersection of lines and the overlapof spaces defined by the contiguous bounded areas on the plane. In thiscase, an overlap of two areas represents an AND, while the combined areabounded by each “disjoint” (separate) area represents an OR operation.Using unitary Venn diagrams, more complex logic is less easilyrepresented, i.e., while such representations are possible, they mayrequire display systems with greater than two dimensions fur greaterthan three sets. However, by chaining of binary operations, more complexprocesses can be readily presented on a single 2-D screen or page;indeed, such chaining is fundamental to the present invention.

The present system is not limited to searching data sets using crisplogic, and may therefore include fuzzy logic searches havingcorresponding set inclusion properties and set member rankings. In thiscase, the manipulation of graphic objects need not be limited to binaryor crisp logic relationships, and therefore an amount or proportionalityof movement may be used to indicate a set inclusion property or setfunction. Thus, the Venn diagram operator may be used to represent fuzzylogic set inclusion properties and gestures used to alter the boundariesof a fuzzy set or logical operations between fuzzy sets.

Thus, typically, a search of a full text database or other types ofcomplex data, including images, audio information, scientific data,industrial data, financial data, etc., does not contemplate a single,finite, and final response; rather a broad search is conducted fromwhich the resulting data set is further optimized, based on theapplication of further rules or manual review of the records. Therefore,a search strategy for these types of situations often proceeds with anexpectation of a number or clustering of relevant data records to beextracted from the data space, with the search strategy refined untilthe expectation is met or the expectation altered. In this case, byproviding a graphical representation of the data sets in an optimizedformat, the set inclusion characteristics may be easily modified, or themodifications reversed or respecified, using the GUI, for example byusing a graphical pointing device to shrink or expand sets orintersections of sets. In other words, according to various embodimentsof the invention, each portion or region of the graphical representationis potentially the subject of selection or configurational modification,representing a desired alteration in the corresponding set inclusioncriteria.

It is noted that, for a given set, the graphical representation ofrefining set inclusion criteria need not be a multiset representationand therefore may be a separate representation from the Venn diagramicon. Where binary set operations are chained, and each input to asuccessive analysis is considered a set, an attempt to modify acomposite set must be analyzed to determine the significance of a changeto the set of inclusion criteria for the composite set. Artificialintelligence techniques may be applied to analyze the composite setinclusion criteria, and to propose an analogous change to the searchwhich corresponds to the gesture or indication of the user. Thus, in afull text proximity searchable system, search criteria A AND B might,tor example, be narrowed in the order of A (same section) B, A (sameparagraph) B, A (same sentence) B, A (adjacent) B. Alternately, the wordspacing between A AND B may be narrowed by successively reducing theoperator, A (within n words of) B. Using artificial intelligence, thesevarious schemes may be intermixed, and indeed, the search strategy maybe tuned based on a number of reported hits; if too low, the strategy ismade less restrictive, if too high, it is made more restrictive,according to the hierarchy of the search.

As stated above, the present invention also allows search restrictionsbased on secondary criteria, such as rankings. These rankings may beincluded with the proximity operators. Thus, it can be seen that thepresent invention may include an intelligent interface which selectsvarious available searching tools in order to refine a search. If theserefinements are inappropriate, the intelligent interface may be adaptiveto the user, and learn a desired search strategy, which may be appliedglobally, for a particular user, or during a particular search session.

In another example, a typical full text search using relevance basedsearch technology will result in a ranked list of “hits”, withpresumably most relevant information at the top of the list and lessrelevant information at the bottom of the list. This ranking methodologyis known in the art. When a search is modified, essentially a new searchmust be conducted with a new relevance ranked list generated. If thisranked list is represented graphically, a different set of inclusionrules may be defined, resulting in a different data set, represented byanother graphic object. Since each set or criterion may be ranked, itmight be concluded that overlapping items higher on the list havegreater significance than overlapping items lower in the list.Alternately, the ranking of the overlapping data may be redeterminedbased on a composite ranking algorithm, such as a weighted averageparadigm. In either case, this ranking may be graphically represented,and the user may apply a threshold function to the graphically presenteddata to limit the data set.

A ranking of a resulting set from a search may advantageously begraphically represented, in order to allow tuning of the underlyingsearch strategy or the ranking algorithm. A trained user will, forexample, view a sample of the resulting data sets to determine whetherthe search strategy returns the desired information, and if so, withwhat degree of quality. On the other hand, a user may have no or littlebasis for making such a determination. In these various instances, thesearching system may apply a range of rules, from those narrowly definedby the user, to broad generic rules devised to adequately encompass manydifferent searching scenarios. A user may review a list of setmembership, and manually include, exclude or rank members. The databasesystem then formulates an “intelligent agent” based on the actions ofthe user, which extracts a ranking or inclusion rule to complete thetask or to search other data spaces for relevant data or continues thetask for the remainder of the data.

In order to rank set members by multiple criteria, a weighting functionmay be applied to the different criteria. According to the presentinvention, this weighting function may be indicated graphically. It isnoted that the ranking or weighting functions are not constrained inhave any relationship with the set inclusion criteria, although in manyinstances this will be the case.

When ranking a set member, a primary set inclusion criterion isfulfilled, and generally only then is a secondary criterion applied toorder the set members. In this case, the ranking is generally appliedwhere the next stage of the process truncates the first set based onthis ranking, for example taking only a certain number of set members orthose having a ranking score above a certain level.

It is important to understand that, in cases where the search is simpleand the user has a clear expectation of the desired results, theadvantages of the present invention are primarily provided by theefficiencies gained by employing a visually intuitive set theoryparadigm interface, and the searching technique itself will likelyparallel a typical prior art search i.e., the user will apply specificand concrete search criteria, explicitly tailoring the search to thedesired scope, rather than relying on graphic tools to assist indefining the search scope. On the other hand, with complex searchstrategies or where an accurate expectation of a “correct” set of searchresults is unavailable, the system and method according to the presentinvention allows the user to tune the search in a new manner, based onthe set theory paradigm. In some instances, the result itself may differfrom the results available through known searching strategies fromexisting systems. The present invention provides a set of graphic toolsand manipulable icons to provide a graphic correspondence between themanipulation of the graphic elements of the user interface by the userand the change in search scope and/or results presentation strategydefined by the interface.

Often, a broad search seeks set members which correspond to a concept,the search strategy being used to define the concept. These concepts maybe unitary and indivisible, or complex and multifactorial. Therefore,real world searching often requires surrogate criteria, estimations,cutoffs and simplifying assumptions. Where a concept is clearlydefinable and the data readily analyzed to determine a match to theconcept, the definition of this set is clear, and no manipulation isnecessary. On the other hand, the surrogate criteria, estimations,cutoffs and simplifying assumptions often lead to errors, i.e., loss ofsignificant set members or inclusion or erroneous set members, or both.In a typical search strategy, it is often desired that the initialsearch criteria be overinclusive, so that later the search may benarrowed in specific ways. Thus, the surrogate criteria, estimations,cutoffs and simplifying assumptions should generally be defined so as toover-encompass the desired data. Sometimes, multiple underinclusive setdefinitions are used to define the concept, either because the searchtools do not allow a single criterion of sufficient breadth, or becausesuch a single criterion would result in the inclusion of a highproportion of undesired set elements without a corresponding increase indesired set elements.

For each set definition which employs surrogate criteria, estimations,cutoffs and simplifying assumptions, it therefore may be desired to beable to tune the set inclusion properties and/or rank the setmembership. One way to do this, for example with full text stringsearching, is with proximity operators. For numeric data, intervals,ranges and statistical functions may be employed. For other types ofdata, other criteria may be employed, as appropriate for that type ofdata. The result of the identification of a continuous or stepwisecontinuous parameter which has a presumed or defined relationship withthe concept is that the set inclusion criteria may be modified in adesired manner by altering this parameter. In any given case, one ormore parameters may be appropriate. In a single parameter system, it isbelieved that a single axis may be used to define more inclusiveness andless inclusiveness, with additional axes required for additionalcriteria. Thus, for a single set inclusion property, a circle with aradius may be graphically presented to the user. The user manipulatesthe set inclusion criteria by relatively varying the radius; an increasein radius broadening the search and a narrowing of the radius closingthe search. Of course, a line, polygon, or other graphic indicia may beused instead of a circle. In fact, where multiple criteria are employed,multiple axes may be presented, such as in a star graph. Alternately, aset of visual slide controls, analogous to the board of a mixingpreamplifier, may be used to control multi-valued variables, whileon-off toggles may be used to control binary variables.

In general, it is useful to provide default operators which represent amost likely or best choice for a user. Thus, for each user action, thesystem preferably provides a default which may be predetermined oradaptive, and which may differ for each user action. Typically, thedefault operations may be accepted by the user with a minimum of action,while an override is available which may require further keystrokes orpointer activity.

In order to gesture to the interface an intent to tune a set inclusionproperty, the particular set is selected, and then the gesture made.Thus, since each input set is signified by a bounded region in a Venndiagram, the border of the bounded region may be enlarged or contractedto alter the set inclusion property. Further, any region or regions maybe selected for attempted manipulation, including the region outside thedefined set spaces, the intersection and non-overlapping portion of eachset. Likewise, the ranking of the each region in the Venn diagram, orcomposite regions, may be ranked. The gesture may also pertain to arelation between two sets, such as a Boolean relationship or a change ina parameter. Therefore, not only may the size of a region bemanipulated, but also the relative spacing and arrangement of thespaces.

Implicit in certain of the modifications discussed herein is that theuser is provided with feedback as to the effect or expected effect of aparticular modification. In this case, any of the known metricindicators may be employed to indicate to the user the number ofelements in the selected set. For example, a digital indicator, lineargauge, size of a bounded region, color, color density, or other knownindicator scheme may be used. Thus, the user graphically manipulates theicon until a desired metric is achieved or is expected to be achieved.While a user might also directly indicate the desired metric, often, thedata does not have a linear distribution or other simple distribution.In this case, the user can “tweak” the set inclusion property until adesired portion of the set is encompassed. Further, the system, inaddition to presenting a membership metric of a desired set inclusivity,may also present a membership metric of an undesired set inclusivity,allowing the user to define a desired “signal to noise ratio”. In thesecases, merely entering a desired size of a set has the same narrowingeffect as defining a ranking criterion and setting a threshold cutoff ofthe ranked set; the rules for such a narrowing may be explicit orimplicit and predetermined or learned.

The user may modify the graphical representation by changing a size,shape, position, color, texture, sound or other characteristics of therepresented data set. This change is then reflected by performing a setoperation on the data set in the data space which corresponds to themanipulation. Preferably, a metric indicating the effect of the proposedchange is outputted, but in some cases, the search result itself may bepresented.

In a Venn diagram representation, a boundary represents the setinclusion property limitation, and thus data elements which meet the setinclusion property are within the bounded area and data elements whichdo not meet the set inclusion criteria are outside the bounded area. Ingeneral, the position and the shape of the area and boundary will bearbitrary, but in certain instances, the data space is ordered and theset inclusion criteria define a data set with a “shape” within the dataspace. Where two data sets are defined within the data space, elementscommon to both sets will be in an overlapping area bounded by bothboundaries; there may be data elements bounded by one or the otherboundaries, and there may be data elements bounded by neither boundary.Where the data sets are drawn from different data spaces, therepresentation may be different, although in most instances the desiredrepresentation by user will be the sum of both data spaces as thepresented composite data space.

For example, set A may be defined is word X within n words of word Y ina fill text database search. The initial search may be performed withn=10. In this case, a change in size of the boundary may be interpretedas changing n, so that a larger boundary increases n while a smallerboundary decreases n. The number of set elements which meet the setinclusion criteria may be indicated graphically or numerically, to allowfeedback as to the effect of the modification. In like manner, amultidimensional change in size or metric (e.g., shape) may beimplemented where the set inclusion criteria are more complex. On theother hand, where two sets, A and B, are defined, their spatialrelationship in the graphic representation may be interpreted as theirdegree of overlap. By changing the spatial relationship of therepresentations of set A and B, the set inclusion criteria for theunderlying sets as well as their union and intersection may becontrolled. In some instances, this is impossible, for example where therepresented set inclusion criteria do not include any continuous orstepwise continuous formulation. In this case, the user interfacerejects an attempt to graphically modify the configuration of the graph,and a form or error message indicated to the user. For such a change tobe made, the user must alter the underlying concrete set inclusioncriteria or define a subsidiary ranking method. On the other hand, theoverlap between two sets may have an element of gradation, and thereforethe positional manipulation would be interpreted as changing athreshold, ranking criterion, set inclusion property, or another aspect,as possible given the underlying set inclusion properties.

Where a number of possible interpretations of a manipulation arepossible, the interface may guess the most appropriate interpretation orseek elucidation from the user. Thus, the user may enter set inclusioncriteria which result in 100 “hits” or data records or portions ofrecords which correspond to the criteria. The user, however, may seek anoutput including only 50 such hits. Therefore, the user selects thebounded region of the GUI which corresponds to the desired hits, andgraphically seeks to resize the area. Where the search criterionincludes a single continuous or stepwise continuous parameter, theinterface may interpret the resizing as a command to vary thisparameter. Where the resulting data set is ranked, i.e., where there isan algorithm for determining the relevance or importance of elementswhich meet the set inclusion property, the resizing may also be used tovary a threshold, below which the data is not considered within theboundary. Where there are a number of possible analogies to theresizing, the interface may seek specific guidance from the user, havedifferent resizing commands, employ a multidimensional resizing command,with the various dimensions representing the various degrees of freedomto modify the set inclusion properties, or the interface may guess thecorrect interpretation, using a set of artificial intelligence rules, anadaptive interface, or contextual analysis of the data sets or dataspace. The interface may present the user with a dialog box to receivespecific guidance. Of course, a combination of these strategies may alsobe used.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a ranking algorithmbased on an extrinsic database, such as a known citation index, such asthe Science Citation Index or Social Science Index, which includes majorscholarly references, with indication of the identity of the authors,affiliated institution, journal, cited references, title, and possiblyabstract and key words. Such an index, when employed to rank therelevance or importance of the results of a search in another database,provides a sophisticated means for evaluating references. Typically, asearch of various topics will yield hundreds or thousands of “hits”. Inthis case, it is desired to present the “hits” to a logical order, sothat relevance or importance declines as the list is reviewed in order,allowing a truncation of review of the search results without reviewingall of the references and allowing a cutoff to be less arbitrarilyimposed. Thus, for example, if literature review references are desired,the sort or rank criterion is number of cited references. If scientificimportance is desired, then the number of citations to that reference isthe sort or rank criterion. Other criteria which may be employed includethe importance of the journal, which may be defined by the user orderived from a statistical analysis of the citation database itself, theimportance of the institution(s) with which the authors are affiliated,the number of cites to articles by an author, the relationship between anumber of authorities referred to or instances of citation by an authorand the number of authorities referring to the author or instances ofcitation to that author, or any other single criterion or hybrid ofmultiple criteria.

In addition to citation indexes, a number of other extrinsic knowledgesources are available for ranking of data sets. For example, asappropriate, electronic dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference works,may be used for ranking electronic data. Internet or other electroniccatalogs, news reports, wire news feeds, historical (including naturalhistory) materials also provide useful sources of ranking information.In particular instances, business data and data mining systems may beused, for example retrieving business inventory, orders, operationalprocesses, personnel, performance, commissions or royalty information.In searches relating to intellectual property, patent, trademark,copyright, other legal or technical information databases may be used.Likewise, information on agriculture, veterinary science, animalhusbandry, lineage (documents), bloodlines or breeding, physicalperformance, etc. may be used to rank information relating to theseareas. In fact, such ranking need not be semantic in nature, and varioustypes of correlation to image, sound or other data may be used whereappropriate. News reports, biographical information, and news picturesmay be used to relation to persons and events. Archives of musical,architectural, artistic or theatrical material, or other materials ofthe creative arts may also include information useful for data ranking.Statistical, demographic, actuarial, geographic, cartographic, census,or projections of future numbers may be used for ranking in some cases.Recipes, formulas, and chemical or industrial process information areother types of information sources. Thus, it is apparent that, accordingto the present invention, data may be ranked in accordance with arelation with information in a separate data base, which provides astandard of relevance. The ranking database and method of ranking may beautomatically selected based on availability and data type or semanticterms, or manually selected by the user.

The invention also contemplates the use of “blockmodelling” (or similartechnique) to establish hierarchies and represent them visually. See,Harrison C. White et al., American Journal of Sociology, Vol 81(4), pp.730-780 (1993), expressly incorporated herein by reference. Althoughthese blockmodelling techniques are known, their application to GUIs,data browsers and database search engines, as an automated tool toestablish apparent relevance or authority, is not known. Blockmodellingis defined herein as any technique that uses an algorithm to establishordered matrices of the relations (such as “like/neutral/dislike” or “Aknows B, B doesn't know A; A doesn't know B, B knows A; A and B knoweach other, A and B do not know each other”) among social objects (suchas publications). Such a technique can be used to establish,probabalistically, who are the members of a scholarly specialty, and whohas the most apparent “authority” within the specialty, based on therelations of citation.

Thus, while such systems have certain limitations, they provideadditional tools and opportunities for ranking of references. The use ofcitation indexes is especially useful because databases of suchinformation are available on-line and on CD-ROMs, making implementationpossible without having to amass this data separately for implementationof the interface system.

Likewise, where relevant, Internet Usenet postings provide similaropportunities, such as by employing “DejaNews”(http://www.dejanews.com), “Alta Vista”(http://www.altavista.digital.com) or other search engines which allowsa search for all posts by an author. In this case, institutioninformation may be less reliable however, domain name may be usefulinformation. Further, the “citations” of the citation indices on theInternet Usenet correspond to the posting threads, which allow relatedpostings to be grouped together. Of course, other types of mass indexeddatabases may be used to rank the set outputs, where the set space has asignificant relation to the database from which the index is created.

While for many envisioned set definitions, a Venn diagram, definingBoolean logic spaces is sufficient, in other cases, other datarelationships may be desired or required. Thus, alternate or additionalsymbols may be employed. For example, a time delay or relative timedifference may be represented by a clock in a box-icon; exclusive or(XOR) represented by two circles with one or two lines separating them,in a rectangular box; stop indicated by an open hand pointing up, “goforward” and “go backward” indicated by a hand pointing to the left orto the right, respectively, and a merger or mixing represented by afunnel.

More generally, the BGI is well suited for integration with otherpictographic symbols that are intuitively clear, such that the GUI isreadily understood and remembered by users, regardless of naturallanguage, and without extensive practice or training. For example, inchemistry, the addition of liquid could be represented by a funnel; inelectronics, a step-up transformer could be represented by a set ofstairs going upward from left to right; in cooking, a straining processby a strainer.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a graphicinterface method for manipulation of data sets in a database, comprisingthe steps of defining at least two sets having distinct set inclusioncriteria; representing the at least two sets as a graphic image of atleast two regions in a space having a spatial relation, representing acomposite set inclusion criterion; receiving a user input formanipulating a configuration of the graphic image, altering at least oneof a size, shape and position of at least one element of the graphicimage; and translating the manipulation of configuration as a modifiedcomposite set inclusion criterion. A database operation may then beexecuted corresponding to the modified composite set inclusioncriterion.

It is another object to provide a graphic interface system formanipulation by a user of data sets in a database, comprising a graphicoutput; a user input having at least one substantially continuous degreeof freedom corresponding to said graphic output; a processor, forreceiving the user input and generating the graphic output; and adatabase, comprising a plurality of data records each having at leasttwo characteristics, the processor receiving at least two set inclusioncriteria from the user; representing in the graphic output the two setinclusion criteria as a graphic image of at least two regions having aspatial relation in a space, corresponding to a composite set inclusioncriteria; receiving the user input for manipulating a configuration ofthe graphic image, altering at least one of a size, shape and positionof at least one element of the graphic image, the set inclusioncriteria, for each manipulation, corresponding to the degrees offreedom; and translating the manipulation of configuration as a modifiedcomposite set inclusion criterion.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a GUI method forrepresenting a search of a database, comprising the steps of defining ageneric graphic icon having a boundary and two intersecting areas in theboundary, each area representing a data set, an intersecting portion ofthe areas representing a conjunction of the data sets, and having fourdiscrete regions, the portion outside the union of the areas, anintersecting portion of the areas, and portions within one area and notwithin the other area; receiving from the user a selection of one ormore regions within the boundary to define an output data set andpresenting the generic graphic icon on the GUI as a first modifiedgraphic icon, having visual indication of the selected regionscorresponding to the defined output set; defining a set inclusionproperty to correspond to each data set for the first modified graphicicon; receiving from the user a selection of one or more regions withinthe boundary to define an output data set and presenting the genericgraphic icon on the GUI as a second modified graphic icon, having visualindication of the selected regions corresponding to the defined outputset; defining a set inclusion property to correspond to each data setfor the second modified graphic icon, one of the set inclusionproperties of the second modified graphic icon being the defined outputset of the first modified graphic icon; outputting the first and secondmodified graphic icons together on the GUI to represent the compositeset inclusion properties of the selected regions of the second graphicicon.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method formanipulating data sets in a data space, comprising the steps ofproviding a GUI of a computer system; defining at least two data sets inthe data space, each of said data sets being represented by a primarygraphic object presented on said GUI; and manually altering a spatialrelationship of said primary graphic objects through said GUI, to modifya secondary graphic object representing a result of a set operation onsaid data sets represented by said primary graphic objects, the graphicstructures and the secondary graphic objects each defining boundedregions selectable through the GUI.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a Boolean graphicalinterface (“BGI”) system as a “front end” for searching mass databases,having one or more of the following features:

-   -   a. Boolean logical connectors, such as AND, OR, and NOT,        represented graphically by “Boole-graphs”, including Venn        diagrams, histograms, circle graphs, time lines, clocks,        geographical maps, graphical representations of AxBx . . . N        matrices and tree structures.    -   b. Graphical representation of the entire search, with saved        intermediate results, allowing the user to move backward and        forward through the Boole-graphs without any loss of information        or need to perform a new search.    -   c. use of typical GUI gestures to interact with the system, such        as point and click, drag, etc., to program the search strategy,        while maintaining intermediate search results. Within graphic        representations, an outlined section of a Boole-Graph may be        selected as a domain for a further search or dragged together        with or separated from other outlined portions.    -   d. an indication of an output metric is provided which is        preferably analog, and may be non-visual, such as aural or        textural. The set inclusion functions are preferably indicated        graphically.

According to another object of the invention, the methods are embodiedin a computer program wherein the BGI system is implemented as an“applet” or module that can be filly or partially downloaded from acomputer network such as the Internet, for use by many differentcomputer platforms, to the extent that the applet is compiled in acommon code that these platforms are enabled to interpret or execute.Such applets may be provided as JAVA or ActiveX constructs. The BGI maybe attached to a browser and/or search engine facility, or can be soattached, so that the parts work as an integral unit.

According to a further object of the invention, the BGI system iscapable of displaying graphically the work of an “intelligent agent”residing either in the BGI or elsewhere. For example, to periodicallyupdate a search and show “before” and “after” Boole-graphs. Or to showBoole-graphs representing the empirical results of two differentnegotiating styles followed by the intelligent agent.

According to a still further object of the invention, the BGI system hasa interface that is optionally adaptive, that is, the user can choose toallow the computer, either always or in certain instances, to makeconclusions about a suitable appearance or functionality of theinterface, based on inferences about some or all activity of the user.The adaptivity may be controlled using graphical set representationsaccording to the present invention.

According to an additional object of the invention, the BGI systemallows the user to interact with multiple databases and/or searchengines simultaneously, where each separate search is capable of beingdisplayed by a separate Boole-graph, and where the elements of eachBoole-graph can be dragged to separate Boole-graphs, for example, totest cross-intersections.

According to another object of the invention, the BGI system displaysespecially pertinent forms of the BGI, for example as chosen from icons,so that improved efficiency in user interaction is gained. For example,special BGI optional environments for travel reservations, concertbookings, employer or employee wanted, searching for a qualifiedprofessional, other human resources functions, match-making, indexingand tables of contents, self-guided learning, scheduling, shopping,navigating, web browsing, the various scientific disciplines, such aschemistry, physics, biology, electronics, mechanics, etc., cooking, andother common or specialized activities.

According to a still further object of the invention, the systemincludes the ability to search databases which include not only textualinformation, but also other information forms, such as auditory, visual,olfactory, or textural or touch inputs, and combinations thereof.

These and other objects and features of the present invention willbecome more fully apparent from the following description and appendedclaims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in whichlike numerals refer to like parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a comparative chart of various forms of logical notation,including a set of logical notation symbols according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 1B is a chart of sample pictographic symbols or icons according tothe present invention;

FIG. 1C illustrates the interaction of the icons;

FIG. 1D illustrates some possible ways to signify the presence of setelements within a region;

FIG. 2A is a table according to the prior art;

FIG. 2B is a logic representation diagram which extends the prior art;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are alternate graphic search representations accordingto the present invention, employing Venn logic diagram notation of thesearch represented in FIGS. 2A and 2B;

FIG. 4 is a conventional logic notation diagram of the searchrepresented in FIG. 2; and

FIGS. 5A and 5B represent elementary iconic symbols of the BooleanGraphic Interface according to the present invention, having two andfour inputs, respectively;

FIG. 6 shows various alternative representations according to thepresent invention differentiated by their logical symbolism;

FIG. 7 shows an user interface screen according to the present inventionshowing a multi-criteria search and graphic indicators of searchresults;

FIGS. 8A(1) and 8A(2), 8B, 8C, 8D and 8E show, respectively, a set ofparametric and non-parametric variable icons, a Venn diagram iconemployed in variable alteration mode, a parametric icon (e.g., wordproximity) as a post modifier for a Venn diagram icon, amultidimensional median and range operator parametric icon and a dialogbox with slider controls;

FIG. 9 shows different icons for displaying ranked outputs according tothe present invention; and

FIG. 10 shows a computer display screen having a split screen showingBoolean graphic notation, conventional Boolean notation of a setinclusion criterion according to the present invention and a tabularformat.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention will now be described by way of the drawings, in whichcorresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding structures inthe figures.

As shown in FIGS. 1A-D, there are various symbolic notations for logicalfunctions. A preferred notation according to the present invention is aVenn diagram, column E, of FIG. 1A which in compact and standardizedform provides an intuitive representation of the various relationshipsbetween two data sets.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, conventional notation requires carefulstudy of the words or translation of the symbols into set relationshipsfor comprehension of the symbolic notation. Where words are employed,the efficiencies of a symbolic representation are lost, and complexexpressions are difficult to comprehend

On the other hand, FIGS. 3A-B provide a clear representation of the setrelationships of each graphic icon or symbol as a set operator,according to the present invention. This is because the symbolicnotation includes intuitive graphic clues as to the set relationshipsindicated by the symbol. Further, because all of the binary Booleanlogical relationships may be represented by a single icon, the presentinvention has the potential for greater efficiency than other schemeswhich have a more limited number of symbols or require elaboration oflarge sets of discrete symbols. As shown in FIG. 1C, these symbols oricons can be made to interact with each other through the use of graphiclogical connectors. Optionally, available to the user is a diagrammaticform of Boole Logic, as shown in Column F. As shown in FIG. 1B, thelogical symbols of the invention are accompanied by a range ofpictographic symbols, depicting actions, choices, processes, results andwarnings, all universally understandable.

EXAMPLE 1

As shown in FIG. 5A, the graphic icon representation according to afirst preferred embodiment of the invention provides an intuitivepresentation of the Boolean relationship of two sets, in the form of astylized Venn diagram. The stylized icon includes a bounding rectangularbox 51, two intersecting circles 52, 53 of approximately equal sizespaced along the elongated axis of the rectangular boundary 51, andlines representing the two inputs 54, 55 and output 56 of the setoperation.

As shown in FIG. 5A, arrowheads may be provided to indicate inputs andoutputs; however, these are not necessary, and in fact, a modificationof a succeeding search scope parameter effecting another set inclusionproperty may back propagate to alter that linked set inclusion property.Thus, the lines indicate linkages, and do not necessarily indicate aunidirectional information or control flow.

The icon defines logical data regions representing a Booleanrelationship between two data sets. Of course, more complex datarelationships may be graphically indicated in a single step, as shown inFIG. 5B, which includes four intersecting circles 57′, 57″, 57′″ and57″″ within rectangular boundary 58, but these are not preferred forgeneral purposes, and are preferably only used where a large number ofsets are combined using a relatively simple operation, such as AND orOR.

FIG. 7 shows a computer interface of a computer employing the graphicicons, for performing a complex search. In this case, the search is achain of five binary criteria 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, with 6 input sets. Apointer 76 is shown proximate to one of the icons 73, which, for exampleis used to select a region within the icon, manipulate a size orposition of an icon, to select for analysis such as ranking, sorting orblockmodelling, or to position the icon itself

Below each icon in FIG. 7 is a pair of bar graphs 77, 78, 79, 80, 81. Afirst bar graph 77′, 78′, 79, 80′, 81′represents a number of set memberswhich match the indicated inclusion criteria, while a second bar graph77″, 78″, 79″, 80″ 81″ indicates a ratio of desired set members whichmeet an additional criterion to set members which do not meet theadditional criteria.

In another aspect of the invention, flexible output icons are employedto represent results ranked as to probable relevance, as shown in FIG.9. These icons may represent a data filter for ordering or ranking thedata according to a desired characteristic and possibly apply athreshold or cutoff. The flexible output icons may use, for example,either of the two visual representations of the relevance of “hits”shown in FIG. 9: concentric circles 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, or layers of apyramid 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101 or triangle 102, 103, 104, 105, 106. Inthe case of concentric circles, the innermost circles 91, 92 would bedefined to have the greatest probable relevance. Similarly, the apex ofa triangle 102, 103 or pyramid 96, 97 would be defined to have thegreatest probable relevance. In each case, the GUI would allow the userto point to and click on any ring or slice, or to drag together (defineas active) two or more sections. According to one embodiment, the userwould have single step availability of functions to see all results orto view each successive layer of results, simply by touching one key orswitch or via a single pointing device command, the result layers beingordered by a sequence of decreasing or increasing relevance. The rulesguiding selection of a ranking may be explicitly given by the user orinstead, given by the computer, or based on experience, artificialintelligence, or adaptation of the computer to the user's preferences.

Because the present invention provides for a formalized notation thatcan be made to correspond on a one-to-one basis to the prior art,translation to and from the notational system according to the presentinvention may be provided, and a representation in one form may also berepresented in the other form as a function of the system according tothe present invention. An embodiment of such a translation mechanism,shown in FIG. 10, provides a split screen or multiple window display 110with simultaneous representation of the Boolean Graphic Interface 111according to the present invention and an equivalent traditional Booleannotation 112 of the same scope. A change or input in one window 111, 112would be propagated to the other 112, 111, allowing the user to useeither interface, or both, for input. FIG. 10 also shows an optional,enhanced tabular format 113 of traditional Boolean notation according tothe present invention. This immediate translation allows use of theinterface for database systems which accept only traditional Booleannotation 112 inputs. By moving a pointing device, such as a mouse, ortouch screen, any part of the interface may be selectively made activefor receiving input, as desired.

To construct a search, a user selects an icon, which may be a genericicon which is “programmed” with the desired characteristics, or apredetermined icon having commonly selected characteristics. In thismanner, entire predetermined search strategies may be iconized andemployed in subsequent searches. In the case of a generic icon, theinputs are then defined. In many cases, this task is most expeditiouslyperformed as a manual set definition in known manner, i.e., the usertypes set inclusion criteria into a text dialog box, and presses enter,for each of the inputs. The user then selects the desired outputfunction as a relation between the inputs, for example by defining aBoolean relationship between the sets. While this step may also bemanually performed, the pointer of the interface may be used to selectregions of the icon representative of the desired set spaces. The outputmay be further used as an input to another operation.

In order to tune the search operation, a number of options areavailable. The interface optionally provides an indicator of the sizeand ratios of the resultant sets. As shown in FIG. 7, these may bepresented as bar graphs 77, 78, 79, 80, 81. Where the number of elementsof the set is different from the user's expectations, this may bechanged in a number of ways. First, the input set definitions may bebroadened or narrowed to include more or fewer elements. This change maybe performed manually, by changing the set inclusion criteria, orthrough an artificial intelligence or semiautomated means. In anartificial intelligence scheme, the computer system analyzes the setinclusion properties and, based on rules, neural networks, or fuzzylogic, proposes a change to the set inclusion properties which wouldlikely have the desired effect. Where the database is readily accessiblewith small penalty, an artificial intelligence system may be used toprobe the database with one or a series of changes to determine theeffect. In this way, both the specific change type and amount may beanalyzed. Thus, the user, in this case, instructs the artificialintelligence system of whether the set inclusion criteria are too broador too restrictive, and the system thereafter analyzes the searchstrategy and proposes a change. In a semiautomated system, the interfaceapplies far less intelligence to assisting the user, and thereforeallows the user a finer granularity of control. In this case, aselectable criterion for altering the act inclusion is defined, orselected by default. For example, a proximity operator between terms ora numeric interval defined. Thus, the user manipulates an icon toindicate a relative change in this operator or interval, and the setinclusion criterion is correspondingly updated.

A second way to narrow a set is to rank the members and apply athreshold or cutoff based on the ranking. Often, the racking criterionis related to the set inclusion criterion, but need not be so. Where aset inclusion criterion is defined by other defined sets, these rankingsmay be applied to these sets before a subsequent set operation, and theranking criterion may include the set inclusion criterion from theantecedent set definitions. On the other hand, the rankings may also beapplied after the composite set operations or using extrinsic criteria.

To broaden a search, for example a text-based search, a thesaurus may beapplied to include words having similar meanings to the search terms.Further, spelling variations and word root analysis may be used toidentify variants.

A third way to narrow a set is a apply additional criteria, such asadditional composite set functions.

This search scope alteration process may be applied to any setdefinition, individual or composite. Thus, within an icon, the scope ofany region may be modified. Where the region corresponds to a definedset, preferably any change in set properties is propagated back to theearlier set definition. However, this back pro propagation may beundesired where a given set output is applied to multiple inputs, andwhere a change for one subsequent operation is not necessarily desiredfor another subsequent operation.

The preferred icon, as shown in FIG. 5A, is a generic Venn operatoricon, divided into 4 set spaces 59, 60, 61, 62, with two intersectingcircles 52, 53 in a rectangular box 51. The space within each circle andnot intersecting 60, 62 defining two set spaces, the intersection 61defining a third set space, and the external area 59 defining a fourthset space. These set spaces, are independently selectable, allowingdefinition of the various Boolean binary operators of the elements ofsets, as shown in FIG. 6:

-   null set-   A NOT B-   B NOT A-   NOT (A OR B)-   A AND B-   A-   B-   NOT A-   NOT B-   A XOR B-   NOT (A XOR B)-   A OR NOT (A OR B)-   B OR NOT (A OR B)-   NOT (A AND B)-   A OR B-   A OR NOT A

A selection is thus received from the user of one or more regions withinthe boundary to define an output data set and presenting the genericgraphic icon on the GUI as a first modified graphic icon, hiving visualindication of the selected regions corresponding to the defined outputset. In addition, as discussed above, a set inclusion property isdefined to correspond to each data set for the first modified graphicicon. Where a generic icon is not employed, to be modified by the user,an icon representing a set having predetermined characteristics may beselected from a pick list or tool bar. These predetermined icons mayprovide advanced functionality, not easily available in the generic iconinterface, such as chronological functions, custom database interfaces,and the like. The predetermined icons may be user modifiable.

Where a user selects a Boolean function by selecting regions of an icon,those regions may change color or image density.

After the individual input sets are defined, and an output relation ofthe sets defined, the output may be suitable for review by the user asan input set to another search criterion. The icons are chained togetheras elements in a flow chart, by graphic connector lines which connectthe inputs and outputs of the iconic representations. These connectorlines may be smart, i.e., intelligently routed, spaced and sized inaccordance with the overall search strategy, graphic presentation andpage or presentation layout.

Generally, the entire search sequence will be maintained during thesession, so that the user may review various inputs and outputs andrevert to prior states if this is preferred to a subsequent state. Thus,the user may be able to test conditions of the data or searchrefinements without losing valuable intermediate results.

Where a variable operator in the set inclusion criteria is identifiable,this provides the opportunity to alter the scope of the set, by simplyvarying this operator. Where numeric data is used, this operator may bea threshold or range in which the set members reside, and thus the setcomposition may be varied by simply changing the cutoff or range. Thus,as shown in FIG. 8A(1), an icon may be provided with a simple numericindicator 84 representative of the parameter, allowing simple graphicmanipulation by selecting an up arrow 85 or a down arrow 86, indicativeof an increase or decrease in the parameter. On the other hand, innon-parametric data, such cutoffs may be somewhat more difficult toapply, as shown in FIG. 8A(2), wherein semantic variable(s) 87, 87′ areindicated and the user modifies a weighting or boundary by selecting up85 or down 86 arrows. Even in these cases, however, such parameterswhich have a monotonically increasing value over a range may stillexist. These include proximity operators, number of occurrences of asearch term in a set member, root analysis of search terms, and semanticvariables.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8B, with respect to a full text proximityoperator, the size of a circle 82 represents the operator for a singleset inclusion rule, which is more generally a continuous or stepwisecontinuous variable. For example, a truncation, semantic analysis,thesaurus, or relevance rule may be applied based on this operator. Theset inclusion operator need not be unidimensional, and in the case of amultidimensional set inclusion rule, the user will, for example, doubleclick on the graphic object or portion of the object to display amultidimensional graph, such as a circle having a plurality of spacedradially oriented axes, e.g., a star graph. The shape of the star graphmay be altered by resizing any of the radially oriented axes.

As shown in FIG 8C, the parametric (or non-parametric) icon may beprovided as a single input function, applying a threshold to therepresented data set from the Venn operator icon 88.

Likewise, the parametric (or non-parametric) icon may represent amultiple degree of freedom operator 89, such as mean 90,90′ and range113, 113′, as shown in FIG. 8D. Two degrees of freedom may represent apractical limit for allowing feedback of the criterion 113, whilegreater numbers of degrees of freedom are better represented in a fulldialog box 115 with, for example, individual slide controls 116 for eachdegree of freedom.

Where the icon or graphic representation is altered by a manipulation,it is often helpful for a window to display a corresponding change tothe explicit search expression, and for changes to propagate through theentire search strategy after being finalized. A multiple level “undo”and “redo” capability is therefore helpful. In Internet applications,this process is usually available through “backward” and “forward”icons.

Where the database is easily and efficiently accessible, it is preferredthat the search strategy be updated after the user makes a searchstrategy modification, so that feedback may be obtained immediately. Onthe other hand, where a penalty is incurred by accessing the database,it is preferred that the user be given an opportunity to make alldesired changes as a group before submitting the search. Therefore, theuser is given this choice or the system obtains this information andacts accordingly.

According to the present invention, new interface constructs need not beimplemented, and therefore known GUI elements, such as buttons, dialogboxes, multiple view windows, pull-down or pop-up menus, button bars,status bars, context sensitive pop-up windows, scrolling and drop-downlists, scroll bars, garbage can icons, blow-up and shrink-down, and thelike, may be usefully employed. Therefore, typical GUI systemapplication development tools and libraries may be used to implement thepresent system.

The overlap between two circles 82, 83 represents a set inclusionoperator between the two sets represented by the circles, and aunidimensional rule may be altered by moving one circle with respect tothe other. Again, in the case of a multidimensional set inclusion rule,a multidimensional graphic representation may be accessed by a secondaryoperation. In general, in each case, one designated default operatorwill be represented by the unidimensional alteration of the iconicrepresentation, while some or all of the set inclusion properties may beaccessed by way of the secondary operation.

Thus, to generate a query, producing a resultant data set, the userfirst defines a plurality of set inclusion criteria, using any knownmethod, including explicit definition of these criteria. These criteriamay be schematic or imprecise, and indeed an advantage of the presentinvention is its ability to graphically assist the user in refining thesearch after initial entry; however, the initial search should be valid,so that it may be used as a point of reference for direction ofmodifications. For this purpose, the search expression entry system mayinclude a syntax checker and/or an expert assistant system for helpingto define an initial search.

As stated above, a graphic indication may be presented to the user ofthe results of the search, fur example magnitudes and ratios of relevantset members. These may be presented as bar graphs, or other known typesof graphic indications.

After a search strategy is defined, the user may request the system toperform an analysis of the search to determine whether search terms areredundant, contradictory, or overly or underly inclusive. This analysismay be done by a logical analysis of the search itself, or by ananalysis of the set members differentiated by the various criteria. Theresults of this analysis, if performed, may be presented to the user foraction, or used to automatically modify the search. Where an automaticmodification is provided, the system acts in accordance with generalguidance provided by the user. For example, where the user inputs aninferential search which is translated by a semantic parsing engine, thesystem according to the present invention may look to the originalinferential search query to determine an intent of the user, and mayoverride the semantic parsing engine, without intervention by the user.On the other hand, where the user specifically inputs a search query,the system must generally seek guidance from the user before alteringthe search strategy.

This guidance may come in the form of responses to computer-generatedqueries, or user manipulation of icons in a manner which is interpretedby the system to allow alteration of one or more search expressions.This manipulation includes selection of portions of graphic elements,and repositioning or resizing on the display with respect to the othergraphic objects, to represent a set operation to be performed on thedata set. Each set representation includes graphic objects which are“selectable” and modifiable, meaning the graphic object may be operatedon separately from other graphic objects, but more importantly, any newdata sets resulting from the set operation are represented by asecondary (or tertiary, etc.) graphic object which is also “selectable”.Further, these primary and higher order sets can also be graphicallymerged or re-merged by a drag technique.

In a complex search, the chain or operations may be formidably large. Ina preferred embodiment of the invention, a user, when viewing aparticular part of a chain of operations, can zoom in (enlarge) or zoomout (contract) in relation to an area of interest, or create a fish-eyeview with a focus on that area, i.e., provide selective detail on aportion of the graphic space.

The present system is not limited to searching data sets using crisplogic, and may therefore include fuzzy logic searches havingcorresponding set inclusion properties and set member rankings. In thiscase, the manipulation of graphic objects need not be limited to binaryrelationships, and therefore in amount or proportionality of movementmay be used to indicate a set inclusion property or set function. Themanipulation of the graphic element, in this case, may be used to altera boundary function of a fuzzy set.

It is noted that search strategies may be modified implicitly by methodsother than graphic manipulation. For example, a user may define adesired result parameter, which the system then uses to tune the searchstrategy to achieve this parameter. For example, a user may seek the 100“best” results with given criteria, and thus the system may then analyzethe database to determine an optimum search strategy, which is thenimplemented.

Artificial intelligence may be applied to analyze the composite setinclusion criteria, and to propose an analogous change to the searchwhich corresponds to the gesture or indication of the user. Thus, in afull text proximity searchable system, a search criteria A AND B might,for example, be narrowed in the order of A (same section) B, A (sameparagraph) B, A (same sentence) B, A (adjacent) B. Alternately, the wordspacing between A and B may be narrowed by successively reducing theoperator, A (within n words of) B. Using artificial intelligence, thesevarious schemes may be intermixed or hybridized, and indeed, the searchstrategy may be tuned based on a number of reported hits, if too low,the strategy is made less restrictive, if too high, it is made morerestrictive, according to the hierarchy of the search.

Where a result is requested based on a number of “best” set members, aranking criterion may be applied. Generally, such a ranking requires amore thorough analysis of the set members, although simple rankingschemes are also known. For example, date, size, numeric or alphabeticordering and the like may be applied as appropriate.

In analyzing system output, a user may review output set membership, andmanually include, exclude or rank members. The system may then formulatean “intelligent agent” which extracts a ranking or inclusion rule tocomplete the task or to search other data spaces for relevant data.

When ranking a set member, the primary set inclusion criterion isfulfilled, and only then is a secondary criteria applied to order theset members. The ranking is generally applied where the next stage ofthe process truncates the first set based on this ranking, for exampletaking only a certain number of set members or those having a rankingscore above a certain level. In some instances, the ranking is directlyrelated to the search criterion, i.e., the ranking is along the samescale as the limiting variable. In other instances, this ranking istruly a secondary operation and has little to do with the primarycriterion, such as date ordering, or other criteria extrinsic to theprimary search criterion.

The interface system may, as a default, present set members to the nextstage or output according to the inclusion criteria, with a weightingtest where multivariable inclusion criteria are employed. The user thenmay modify this ranking by, for example, opening a text dialog box or agraphic window. In certain instances, the ranking criterion may bedefined by graphically manipulating an icon or graphic image incorresponding manner to the set inclusion criterion, while in otherinstances it is preferably defined explicitly by the user. Thus, in amultivariate set inclusion criteria, the user may be presented with astar graph icon for defining the relative weighting of each of themultiple variables in the rankings.

Once the set inclusion and ranking are defined, these may be manipulatedin multiple set operations. Preferably, sets are handled two at a time,with a simple two set Venn diagram representing the operations. In someinstances, however, it may be desired to have a larger number of setscombined in a single operation, and more complex icons may be providedfor this purpose. A four input set operator icon is provided as shown inFIG. 5B. In this icon, each circle has at least three degrees offreedom, X-axis, Y-axis and radius, representing a distance from avertically aligned circle, a horizontally aligned circle, and a setinclusiveness function, respectively This, however, does not allow aneasily accessible relationship to be defined with respect to adiagonally oriented circle.

Thus, a multiple set icon is preferably employed only where a smallamount of control over the output is required, for example forrelatively simple set relations, such as AND, OR, and NOT, to tune setinclusion properties of a set, and rank the resulting output set. Afterdefining the Venn set spaces selected for the output by the Booleanlogic operations, the area representing portions of the set space may berelatively enlarged or contracted by graphic manipulation of theboundaries of the region, for example. In like manner to the single setoperations, a continuous or stepwise continuous variable is alteredbased on the graphic manipulation. Also in like manner to single setoperations, a default variable is established with potential foroverride by the user and manipulation of multiple variables. Where thesearch itself does not allow or suggest such a variable, the user mayrequest the user to define how he or she would like the search to bemodified. The output set may be ranked according to default criteriacorresponding to the input sets and/or the set operation between themultiple sets.

While, as discussed above, the tuning of the single set inclusion isseparated from the multiple set operations, it is also possible to tuneboth the input and output set inclusion properties by graphicmanipulation of a multiple set icon. Thus, since each input set issignified by a bounded region in a Venn diagram, the border of thebounded region may be enlarged or contracted to alter the set inclusionproperty. Further, any region or regions may be selected for attemptedmanipulation, including the region outside the defined set spaces, theintersection and non-overlapping portion of each set. Likewise, theranking of the each region in the Venn diagram, or composite regions,may be ranked.

Where an icon representing multiple sets is employed, an additionalgesture is available for indicating to the interface that a manipulationis desired. Therefore, not only may the size of a region by manipulated,but also the relative spacing and arrangement of the spaces. Forexample, where the intersection space is relevant to the definition ofthe output set, a relative movement of one set boundary away from theother may be interpreted as narrowing the inclusion criteria for theintersection. Likewise, a movement toward one another may be interpretedas an instruction to broaden the set inclusion criterion.

In the case of Venn diagrams in this paradigm, a range of graphicalmodifications are possible, representing different types of possible setoperations. For example, set A may be defined as word X within n wordsof word Y in a full text database search. The initial search may beperformed with n=5. In this case, a change in size of the boundary maybe interpreted as changing n, so that a larger boundary increases nwhile a smaller boundary decreases n. The number of set elements whichmeet the set inclusion criteria may be indicated, to allow feedback asto the effect of the modification. In like manner, a multidimensionalchange in size or metric (e.g., shape) may be implemented where the setinclusion criteria are more complex. On the other hand, where two sets,A and B are defined, their spatial relationship in the graphicrepresentation may be interpreted as their degree of overlap. Bychanging the spatial relationship of the representations of set A and B,the set inclusion criteria for the underlying sets as well as theirunion and intersection may be controlled. In some instances, this isimpossible, for example where the represented set inclusion criteria donot include any continuous or stepwise continuous formulation. In thiscase, the user interface rejects an attempt to graphically modify theconfiguration of the graph. For such a change to be made, the user mustalter the underlying concrete set inclusion criteria or define asubsidiary ranking method. On the other hand, the overlap between twosets may have an element of gradation, and therefore the positionalmanipulation would be interpreted as changing a threshold, rankingcriteria, set inclusion property, or another aspect, as possible giventhe underlying set inclusion properties.

Where a number of possible interpretations of a manipulation arepossible, the interface may guess the most appropriate interpretation orseek elucidation from the user. Thus, the user may enter set inclusioncriteria which result in 100 “hits” or data records or portions ofrecords which correspond to the criteria. The user, however, may seek anoutput including only 50 such hits. Therefore, the user selects thebounded region of the GUI which corresponds to the desired hits, andgraphically seeks to resize the area. Where the search criteria.includes a single continuous or stepwise continuous parameter, theinterface may interpret the resizing as a command to vary thisparameter. Where the resulting data set is ranked, i.e., where there isan algorithm for determining a relevance or importance of elements whichmeet the set inclusion property, the resizing may also be used to vary athreshold, below which the data is not considered within the boundary.Where there are a number of possible analogies to the resizing, theinterface may seek specific guidance from the user, have differentresizing commands, employ a multidimensional resizing command, with thevarious dimensions representing the various degrees of freedom to modifythe set inclusion properties, or the interface may guess the correctinterpretation, using a set of artificial intelligence rules, anadaptive interface, or contextual analysis of the data sets or dataspace. Of course, a combination of these strategies may also be used.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a ranking algorithmbased on an extrinsic database, such as a known citation index, such asthe Science Citation Index or Social Science Index, which includes majorscholarly references, with indication of the identity of the authors,affiliated institution, journal, cited references, title, and possiblyabstract and key words. Such an index, when employed to rank therelevance or importance of the results of a search in another database,provides a sophisticated means for evaluating references. Typically, asearch of various topics will yield hundreds or thousands of “hits”. Inthis case, it is desired to present the “hits” in a logical order, sothat relevance or importance declines as the list is reviewed in order,allowing a truncation of review of the search results without reviewingall of the references and allowing a cutoff to be less arbitrarilyimposed. Thus, for example, if literature review references are desired,the sort or rank criterion is number of cited references. If scientificimportance is desired, then the number of citations to that reference isthe sort or rank criterion. Other criteria which may be employed includethe importance of the journal, which may be defined by the user orderived from a statistical analysis of the citation database itself, theimportance of the institution(s) with which the authors are affiliated,the number of cites to articles by an author, or any other singlecriterion or hybrid of multiple criteria. Each of these ranking criteriamay be derived from the citation database, thus allowing standardizationand ease of updating. Thus, while such a system has certain limitations,it provides an additional tool for ranking of references. The use ofcitation indexes is especially useful because databases of suchinformation are available on-line and on CD-ROMs, making implementationpossible without having to amass this data separately for implementationof the interface system.

Likewise, where relevant, Internet Usenet postings provide similaropportunities, such as by employing “DejaNews”(http://www.dejanews.com), “AltaVista”(http://www.altavista.digital.com) or other search engines which allowsa search for all posts by an author. In this case, institutioninformation may be less reliable, however, domain name may be usefulinformation. Further, the “citations” of the citation indices on theInternet Usenet correspond to the posting threads, which allow relatedpostings to be grouped together. Of course, other types of mass indexeddatabases may be used to rank the set outputs, where the set space has asignificant relation to the database from which the index is created.

While for many envisioned set definitions, a Venn diagram, definingBoolean logic spaces is sufficient, in other cases, other datarelationships may be desired or required. Thus, alternate or additionalsymbols may be employed. For example, a time delay or relative timedifference may be represented by a clock in a box-icon; exclusive or(XOR) represented by two circles with one or two lines separating them,in a rectangular box; and a merger or mixing represented by a funnel.

EXAMPLE 2

Instead of entering set definitions, as provided in the method accordingto Example 1, a user defines a search using prior known techniques, suchas natural language searching, query by example, or other knowntechniques. Using these techniques, a search expression is constructed,using e.g., Boolean and other data relationships, which is normally notemployed by the user. However, according to the present invention, thisderived search strategy is presented as a series of icons interconnectedin accordance with the present invention, such as is shown in FIG. 7.Thus, the user need not explicitly define the search parameters, butrather, an automated or intelligent system may be employed to generatethe initial search.

After the search is formulated using the known prior art techniques, theuser is presented with the results. While these results may sometimes beacceptable, often the user desires a search of differing scope than thatpresented. Therefore, the interconnected icons may be manipulated toprovide a degree of explicit control over the search expression. Forexample, search limitations may be eliminated or bypassed by eliminatingan icon or selecting the output to be equal to one of the inputs.Further, the logical relationships may be modified by selecting ordeselecting set relationships, i.e., Boolean set spaces. According tothe present invention, parametric search expressions may be altered bymanipulation of individual icons, as discussed above.

Where the screen display is generated based on a search strategyindirectly inputted by the user, and sometimes even where expresslyinputted by the user, it may be desirable to include on the main displaythe individual search expressions. Thus, proximate to the iconrepresenting the search expression is a text or data window presentingthe search expression itself, similar to that shown in FIG. 10, or ascreen button for easily accessing the search expression. This willallow a user to view both symbolic and concrete expressions in the sameview. In this case, the graphical representations and the text or datarepresentations are preferably linked, so that where one is updated orchanged, the corresponding other is also updated or changed. Likewise,where multiple search expressions are chained or linked, a change in anyone preferably propagates through to the output.

The changes that a user makes to a search may be indicative of theuser's desires and characteristics. Therefore, an option is provided forthe system to learn from the user in order to tailor future searches inaccordance with the user's desires and characteristics. Generally, theuser will explicitly select particular changes to the search asdemonstrative of these desires and characteristics. These changes aregenerally to be applied to the original search formulation, i.e., at thelevel of input translation to explicit search formulation. However,where the system which formulates the search strategy is not adaptive,these adaptive features may be incorporated into the interface systemaccording to the present invention. In this case, the present systemacts as a post-translator to apply modifications to a search from theinitial translator and before presentation to the user. This two-stepprocess has the advantage of allowing the user to return to the defaultsearch strategy from the initial translator without exiting the graphicsearch formulation system according to the present invention.

While the above detailed description has shown, described and pointedout the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied tovarious embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions andsubstitutions and changes in the form and details of the system andmethod illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art, withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention. Consequently, the full scopeof the invention should be ascertained by the appended claims.

1. A graphic user interface method for defining a database querydefinition and output representation operation parameters of a databaseparameter, the method comprising the steps of: graphically representinga query definition or an output representation operation of a databaseoperation on the a data set, said graphic representation having a gradedrepresentation portion; receiving from the user a signal representing auser manipulation of the a grade of the graded representation portion;and translating the manipulation of the graded representation into adatabase query definition or output representation operation parameterfor the database; and receiving the an output database set from thedatabase in accordance with the database query definition of outputrepresentation operation parameter, an arrangement of members of theoutput database set being responsive to manipulation of said gradedrepresentation portion.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein saiddata set comprises free form text.
 3. The method according to claim 1,wherein said database operation parameters comprise further comprisingreceiving a database query comprising Boolean search parameters.
 4. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein said graphic representationcomprises a bulls'-eye.
 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein saidgraphic representation comprises a pyramid.
 6. The method according toclaim 1, wherein said manipulation comprises a gesture.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein said manipulation comprises selecting astart position within the graded representation portion and subsequentlydisplacing a graphic cursor with respect thereto.
 8. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein said further comprising receiving adatabase operation parameters comprise parameter comprising at least onenumerical operator defining an expansiveness of a set inclusionproperty.
 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said databaseoperation parameter comprises a statistical parameter.
 10. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein said database operation parameter modifiesa presentation of results of a Boolean search expression.
 11. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein said further comprising receiving adatabase operation parameter through manipulation of a gradedrepresentation portion, which modifies a set inclusion property of aBoolean search expression.
 12. The method according to claim 1, whereinsaid further comprising receiving a database operation parametercomprises through manipulation of a graded representation portion, whichmodifies a non-Boolean search parameter of the database.
 13. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the user manipulation comprises a gesturefor affecting a relative size, shape or position of the gradedrepresentation portion.
 14. The method according to claim 1, wherein thedatabase operation parameter comprises an output ranking.
 15. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising the steps of receiving afurther database operation parameter from the user through usermanipulation of a graded representation portion, the database operationparameter and further database operation parameter being selected fromone or more of the group consisting of a set inclusion property and aset ranking property, which together determine and arrange the outputset.
 16. The method according to claim 1, wherein a set inclusioncriterion resulting from evaluation of the database operation parameterof the output database set is based on an intrinsic characteristic ofthe elements of the database, and a ranking of members included elementsin an the output set is based on a characteristic extrinsic to theelements members of the database output database set.
 17. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: evaluatingthereceiving a database operation parameter to produce andefine theoutput database set; representing the output database set as a secondgraphic representation having a graded representation portion; receivingfrom the user a user manipulation of a graded of the gradedrepresentation portion of the second graphic representation; andtranslating the manipulation of the graded representation of the secondgraphic representation into a second database operation parameter forthe output database set.
 18. The method according to claim 1, whereinsaid graphically representing step is adaptive to a style of the useractivity regarding the graphic representation.
 19. The method accordingto claim 1, further comprising the step of altering the functioning ofthe graphic user interface based on preferences of the user, thepreference being derived from monitoring the past activities of theuser.
 20. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the stepof transmitting the database operation parameter through a computernetwork to a remote database server.
 21. The method according to claim1, wherein: said graded representation portion comprises at least onegraphic control having a liner linear depiction; and said manipulationcomprises a movement of a graphic element along the liner lineardepiction.
 22. The method according to claim 1, wherein: said gradedrepresentation portion comprises a plurality of graphic controls,arranged in an array and each individual ones of the plurality ofgraphic controls having a liner linear depiction; and said manipulationcomprises a movement of a graphic element along the liner lineardepictions.
 23. The method according to claim 1, wherein the databasecontains comprises a set of referential data records, each individualones of the referential data records having an identifier, and contentinformation relating to the content of the database and identifiers of asubset of the referential data records, at least a portion of said setof referential data records being referenced by other data records,further comprising the steps of sorting identifiers of the subset datarecords included as members of the output database set based on aprimary search criterion and an analysis of a relation of references ofthe database.
 24. A non-transitory computer readable medium havingtherein computer instructions for controlling a computer to perform themethod of claim
 1. 25. A method comprising: providing data for displayof at least one graded representation portion representing applicationof an output criterion to a data set; receiving a signal representing atleast one of a graphic manipulation of the graded representation portionor a query defined based on a graphic manipulation of the gradedrepresentation; determining a query defined based on a graphicmanipulation of the graded representation in response to receiving asignal representing the graphic manipulation of the gradedrepresentation; transmitting electronic data representing a querydefined based on a graphic manipulation of the graded representationportion to an automated query response system; and receiving a queryresponse set from the automated query response system, the queryresponse set comprising a plurality of items in dependence on the queryand having an arrangement varying in dependence on a second outputcriterion derived from the graphic manipulation of the at least onegraded representation portion of the output criterion.
 26. The methodaccording to claim 25, wherein the at least one graded representationportion comprises a plurality of quantitative graphic representations,individual ones of the plurality of quantitative graphic representationsconfigured to be separately graphically manipulated.
 27. The methodaccording to claim 25, wherein the graded representation portioncomprises a scale, wherein a desired quantitative value is selectedbased on a manipulation of the scale.
 28. The method according to claim25, wherein the automated query response system comprises a searchengine.
 29. The method according to claim 25, wherein the electronicdata is transmitted over the Internet.
 30. The method according to claim25, wherein the output criterion comprises a sort criterion.
 31. Themethod according to claim 25, wherein the output criterion comprises aranking criterion.
 32. The method according to claim 25, wherein thegraded representation portion comprises the output criterion and aquantitative modifier for a semantic query.
 33. The method according toclaim 25, wherein the automated query response system operates on datarecords comprising records having links to other data records or recordswhich are linked to by other data records, a ranking of data recordsrepresented in the query response set being dependent on the links to orfrom other data records.
 34. A non-transitory computer readable physicalmedium having stored therein computer instructions for controlling acomputer to perform the method of claim
 25. 35. A graphic user interfacemethod comprising: providing signals for graphically representing apredefined icon of the graphic user interface for defining an outputrepresentation operation on the database, said icon having a gradedrepresentation portion; receiving a signal representing a usermanipulation of the grade of the graded representation portion; andreceiving an output database set in accordance with a database outputrepresentation operation parameter derived from the user manipulation ofthe graded representation portion, wherein the output database set isreceived in accordance with the database output representation operationparameter, and an arrangement of members of the output database set isdependent on said database output representation operation parameter.36. The method according to claim 35 further comprising translating themanipulation of the graded representation portion into the databaseoutput representation operation parameter for the database.
 37. Thegraphic user interface method according to claim 35, further comprising:providing signals for display a plurality of predefined iconsrepresenting respective output representation operations on thedatabase; receiving signals representing user manipulation of grades ofa plurality of graded representation portions; translating themanipulation of the grades into a plurality of database outputrepresentation operation parameters for the database; receiving theoutput database set in accordance with the plurality of database outputrepresentation operation parameters, and wherein an arrangement ofmembers of the output database set is dependent on said plurality ofdatabase output representation operation parameters.
 38. A graphic userinterface method comprising: providing data for display of a graphicrepresentation of an output from the database, said graphicrepresentation having at least a graded representation portion;receiving a signal representing a manipulation of a grade of the gradedrepresentation portion of the graphic representation of the output fromthe database; translating the manipulation of the grade into a databaseoutput representation operation parameter for the database; determiningan output database set in accordance with the database outputrepresentation operation parameter; and providing data for displayrepresenting arranged members of the output database set in dependenceon the database output representation operation parameter.
 39. A methodcomprising: receiving through a pointing device of a graphic userinterface at least one signal relating to a manipulation of a grade ofat least one graded representation portion of a desired outputarrangement, the at least one graded representation portion comprising arepresentation of an output criterion as applied to a data set;transmitting electronic data representing at least one of a definedquery based at least in part on the at least one signal or themanipulation of the grade of the at least one graded representationportion to an automated query response system; and receiving a responsefrom the automated query response system, the response comprising datarepresenting a plurality of items arranged in dependence on themanipulation of the grade of the at least one graded representationportion.
 40. The method according to claim 39, wherein the gradedrepresentation portion comprises a plurality of multivalued graphicrepresentations, individual ones of the plurality of multivalued graphicrepresentations configured to be separately manipulated through thepointing device.
 41. A method comprising: receiving at a server a signalrelating to a user manipulation of a grade value represented by at leastone graded representation portion having at least three states, the atleast one graded representation portion comprising a representation ofan output criterion as applied to a data set; defining a query based atleast in part on the signal; transmitting electronic data representingat least one of the query or the user manipulation of the grade value toan automated query response system; and receiving a response from theautomated query response system, the response comprising datarepresenting a plurality of items responsive to the query or the usermanipulation of the grade value; making the response from the automatedquery response system available for display in an arrangement independence on the user manipulation of the grade value.
 42. The methodaccording to claim 41, wherein the signal received through the graphicuser interface relates to a separate manipulation of a grade valuerepresented by a plurality of graded representation portions.
 43. Anon-transitory computer readable medium having therein computerinstructions configured to control a computing device to performoperations comprising: providing data for display of a graphicrepresentation of an output from a database, said graphic representationhaving at least a graded representation portion; receiving a signalrepresenting a manipulation of a grade of the graded representationportion of the graphic representation of the output from the database;translating the manipulation of the grade into a database outputrepresentation operation parameter for the database; determining anoutput database set in accordance with the database outputrepresentation operation parameter; and providing data for displayrepresenting arranged members of the output database set in dependenceon the database output representation operation parameter.
 44. Anon-transitory computer readable medium having therein computerinstructions configured to control a computing device to performoperations comprising: receiving through a pointing device of a graphicuser interface at least one signal relating to a manipulation of a gradeof at least one graded representation portion of a desired outputarrangement, the at least one graded representation portion comprising arepresentation of an output criterion as applied to a data set;transmitting electronic data representing at least one of a definedquery based at least in part on the at least one signal or themanipulation of the grade of the at least one graded representationportion to an automated query response system; and receiving a responsefrom the automated query response system, the response comprising datarepresenting a plurality of items in dependence on the manipulation ofthe grade of the at least one graded representation portion.
 45. Anon-transitory computer readable medium having therein computerinstructions configured to control a computing device to performoperations comprising: receiving a signal relating to a usermanipulation of a grade value represented by at least one gradedrepresentation portion having at least three states, the at least onegraded representation portion comprising a representation of an outputcriterion as applied to a data set; defining a query based at least inpart on the signal; transmitting electronic data representing at leastone of the query or the user manipulation of the grade value to anautomated query response system; and receiving a response from theautomated query response system, the response comprising datarepresenting a plurality of items responsive to the query or the usermanipulation of the grade value; making the response from the automatedquery response system available for display in an arrangement independence on the user manipulation of the grade value.
 46. An apparatuscomprising: a server configured to provide an applet executing inconjunction with a graphic user interface, the applet configured toreceive through a pointing device of the graphic user interface amanipulation of a grade of at least one graded representation portion ofa desired output arrangement, the at least one graded representationportion comprising a representation of an output criterion as applied toa data set and to transmit electronic data representing at least one ofa defined query based at least in part on the at least one signal or themanipulation of the grade of the at least one graded representationportion to the server; and wherein the server is configured to receivethe electronic data from the applet and to send a response comprisingdata representing a plurality of items in dependence on the manipulationof the grade of the at least one graded representation portion to theapplet for presentation in the graphic user interface in an arrangementin dependence on the manipulation of the grade value.